General Master's Degree in Psychology

Students enrolled in the Department of Psychology's master's program may, through selection of appropriate distribution and elective courses, choose to specialize or focus in the area of General Psychology. UB's M.A. degree with a specialization in General Psychology does not provide training for specific careers. In order to work as a professional psychologist, it is necessary to earn a Ph.D. (a doctorate). Many students enroll in UB's M.A. program with a specialization in General Psychology for one of two reasons: First, some students know they want to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, but they are uncertain about which area of psychology to specialize or focus in. By enrolling in our M.A. program, they can take advanced courses in several subfields of psychology, learn more about psychology and focus their interests, and then apply for and gain acceptance into a doctoral program. Second, some students find that they need to strengthen their credentials before they can gain acceptance into a psychology Ph.D. program. By enrolling in our M.A. program, they can show their ability to earn good grades in graduate-level courses and they can gain research experience that can strengthen their applications to doctoral programs.

Skills and Content Areas Career Opportunities
  • Behavioral neuroscience
  • Clinical psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Social-personality psychology
  • Statistical procedures for psychological research
  • Research methods for psychological studies
  • Discover the area of psychology in which you would like to specialize or focus for graduate studies at the Ph.D. (doctoral) level
  • Strengthen your credentials (grades in graduate-level courses, research experience) for applying to doctoral programs in psychology

The following is a sample one-year program for students choosing to specialize or focus in General Psychology. Some students may prefer to allow three semesters or two years for completion of the program.

Fall Term Spring Term
513 Biological Bases of Behavior* 625 Community Psychology* or
627 Perception* or
634 Animal Behavior* or
681 Advanced Social Psychology II*
607 Advanced Statistics I (required) 625 Community Psychology* or
627 Perception* or
634 Animal Behavior* or
681 Advanced Social Psychology II*
624 Psychopathology* 625 Community Psychology* or
627 Perception* or
634 Animal Behavior* or
681 Advanced Social Psychology II*
639 Cognitive Processes or
728 Memory		 600 Independent Study* or
Psychology elective*
680 Advanced Social Psychology I* or
725 Attitudes and Social Cognition*		 Psychology elective* or
Course outside Psychology
Italic = Distribution Courses
Graduate Courses and Descriptions
Program Requirements		 * Requirements for the M.A. in Psychology include completion of a project, e.g., a research study, a case study, or a literature review paper. Any of the starred courses could serve as the basis for developing a paper. This project or paper must be approved by two department faculty (the course instructor may be one).

For additional information about the specialization or focus in General Psychology, contact Dr. Craig Colder, Director of Graduate Studies.